Combined pilot coupling and buffer.



No. 69|,472, Patented lan. 2|, |902.

W. H. LEWIS &. C. A. SELEY. COMBINED PILOT COUPLING ND BUFFER.

(Apph atlon led Mar. 14, 1901.)

(N o Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l. i

No. 691,472. Patented lanfzl, |902.

w. H. Ll-:wls & c. A. SE'LEY.

COMBINED PILOT COUPLING AND BUFFER.

(Application tiled Mar. 14, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

' utente/1A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM H. LEWIS AND CHARLES A. SELEY, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

COMBINED PILOT COUPLING AND BUFFER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 6i91,472, dated January21, 1902.

A Application filed March 14, 1901. Serial No. 51,111. (No'model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. LEWIS and CHARLES A. SELEY, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke andState of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements iua Combined Pilot Coupler and Buffer; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in combinedpilot coupler and buifer, and particularly to that class known as theMaster Car-Builders type, which are generally employed at the front endof locomotives or to other railway and rolling equipment, toV which thecouplers of standard length of shank cannot be applied.

The object of our vinvention is to provide a coupler of the typedescribed which shall be economic and simple of construction andeffective in operation; and with these ends in view our inventionconsists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter morespecifically described, and shown inthe drawings.

In order that` those skilled in the art to which our inventionappertains may know how to make and apply our invention and fullyunderstand all of its advantages, wewill proceed to describe theconstruction .and operation of the same, referring by letters to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents the head of thecoupler in elevation and the shank and its socket or case in centralvertical longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectionthrough the shank of the coupler, taken on the line x a: of Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a top or plan View of the coupler and its case or socket in normalrelation, and Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the coupler-socket.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several figuresof the drawings.

A represents the head of the coupler, which may be of the ordinary orany preferred construction and provided with the usual or any desiredinterlocking or swinging knuckles or jaws.

B is the shank of the coupler, which is bored or hollowed outlongitudinally to constitute a receptacle or recess for buer-springs C Dand formed with trunnions E on the upper and lower faces of the shank.The trunnions E, as clearly shown at Fig. 3, are curved on their frontand rear faces for the purpose presently explained.

F and F represent the coupler-socket made in two parts, adapted when inproper relation to each other to constitute a seat and receptacle forthe shank of the coupler. Each section of the socket is formed with anopening or slot G, adapted to receive the trunuionsE of thecoupler-shank, and the front and rear walls of said sockets correspondto the curvatures of the front and rear faces of the said trunnions. Thelength of said sockets is such as to permit of a predeterminedlongitudinal movement therein of the trunnions E for the purposehereinafter explained. The two sections or halves F and F of the socketor casing are formed with lateral lugs or ears G, provided with centraloriiices for the passage of bolts H, by means of which saidsocketsections are secured to the buffer-beam of a locomotive or to thesill of a car or tender, and with centrall lateral webs I, which aresecured together by vertical bolts or rivets J. The socket-sections areformed with inwardlyprojecting shoulders or anannular ange K, adapted toconstitute a stop, against which the rear end or tail of thecoupler-shank may contact, and the head of the coupler is formed withshoulders or faces L, adapted to contact with the forward edges or faceof the coupler-socket sections F and F whenever the resistance of thebuffer-springs has been overcome in the bufting action.

M is a plate which is arranged behind the shoulders or annular Iiange Kand between the latter and the buffer-beam, and the buffer-springs C Dare confined under proper compression between said plate and the base orfront wall of the recess of the shank in order that such compression ofsaid springs shall operate to hold the coupler-head to its requiredposition for coupling and pulling and to receive the cushion-buflingstrains imparted to the coupler-head.

The side Walls of the socket or casing diverge, as shown by dottedlines, toward the front end or are given such clearance relativelyto thecross-section of the coupler-shank that proper lateral movement of theshank may take place when necessary on track curvatures, the curvedfront and rear faces of the trunnions of the coupler-shank coperatingunder such conditions.

In assembling the parts the springs C D are located within the bore orhollowed portion of the shank of the coupler, and th'e plate M is placedagainst the rear coils of said springs. The two sections F and F of thesocket or casing are placed around the shank of the coupler, with thetrunnions E located within the slots G of the casing or socket F F', andthe latter are then secured together by the vertical bolts or rivets H,passing through the webs I, and the parts thus assembled are secured tothe buffer-beam or car-sill by the securing-bolts H in such manner as toput the springs C D under proper compression, as hereinbefore explained.When the parts are thus assembled and secured in position, it will bereadily understood that when a buding strain is received at thecoupler-head it will, according to its force, compress the springs C D,the slots G permitting a backward movement of the coupler-headcorresponding with the strength or resistance of the springs, and thatwhen the resistance of the springs shall be overcome by the shock therear faces of the trunnions will contact with the rear wall of the slotsG, and simultaneously the shoulders or faces L of the coupler-headcontact with the front edges of the socket F F', and at the same timethe tail of the coupler-shank will contact with the inwardly-projectingshoulders or iiange K of the socket or casing, thus distributing theshock to several independent localities and relieving the strain uponany one locality.

When the ordinary dead-blocks are employed on the equipment, the couplerand buffer bears such relation thereto that the dead-blocks take up orassist in taking up the shock coincidently with the contact of theseveral shoulders and faces just described and which could not be thecase were the coupler not arranged for longitudinal or lengthwisemovement, and consequently the entire bufting shocks would betransmitted through the coupler mechanism.

While we have shown and prefer to use the plate M as a seat for the rearends of the batting-springs, we do not wish to be confined to the use ofthe same, as said springs may be seated directly against the buffer-beamor end sill, and while we have 'shown and describedaconstruction whichinvolves the taking up of the bulng shock at several localities afterthe resistance of the bufling-springs has been overcome we do not wishit to be understood that our invention is limited to such details of,construction in combination with the other features of our invention asdescribed, as many variations maybe madein these and other respectswithout departing from the spirit of our invention, which consists inthe generic idea of a combined coupler and buffer in which the shank ofthe coupler is provided with a recess for the reception of buer-springsand provided with integral vertical trunnions, and a confining andsupporting socket provided with openings or slots to constitute seatsfor the trunnions of the coupler shank and within which said trunnionsmay have longitudinal and rotative movement.

Having described the construction, operation, and advantages of ourcombined'pilot coupler and buffer, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A pilot coupler and buer consisting of a coupler, having integralwith the hollow shank thereof, v ertical trunnions, a receiving andsupporting socket adapted to be secured to the buffing-beam of alocomotive or end sill of a car, and formed with vertical openings orsockets to receive the trunnions of the coupler, and bufling-springslocated centrally within the hollow shank and interposed between thecoupler-head and buffer-beam or car-sill, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. Thecouplerhaviugashankrecessedcentrally to receive buffingfsprin gsand provided with integral, vertical trunnions to engage with suitableslots in the socket or casing, a casing adapted to be secured to thebutterbeam of a locomotive or end sill of a car, and provided with slotsto receive the trunnions of the coupler-shank, and buffer-springsarranged withi n the recess of the coupler-shank, and between the basethereof and the buerbeam or end sill, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

8. The combination ofalongitudinally-movable coupler and shank madeintegral and having also a laterally-vibrative movement, buffer-springslocated within a central recess in the shank to resist longitudinalmovements, vertical trunnions on the shank, lugs or faces on thecoupler, and a socket or casing provided with vertical elongatedopenings to receive the trunnions of the shank, and with shoulders orprojections to constitute contacts for the lugs or faces on the coupler,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

4. An'integral coupler and shank, the latter formed with a centrallongitudinal recess for bung-springs and with vertical trunnions havingcurved front and rear faces, a socket or casing adapted to receive theshank of the coupler and the bufng-springs and formed with verticalslots having curved front and rear terminals, substantially as and forthe purposes hereinbefore set forth.

IOO

5. A coupler-head and recessed or hollow In testimony whereof We affixour signashank adapted to receive centrally-located tures in presence oftwo witnesses.

bung-springs, and formed with external WILLIAM H. LEWIS.

trunnious adapted to be seated or located CHARLES A. SELEY. 5 withinslots or pockets formed in a. contain- Witnesses:

ing and supporting socket or casing, substzm- I-I. L. MORRIS,

tilly as and for the purpose set forth. T. H. LEARY.

